The Politically Inclined Heretic comments on political and cultural news events on a daily or almost-daily basis from a thoughtful nonpartisan perspective.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Best Way to Cut the Deficit: Let All Bush Tax Cuts Expire

"It's an odd turn of events, but for all that this budget, and the various Republican proposals, attempt to actually do for the deficit, the biggest single thing we could do would be to do, well, nothing: Let the Bush tax cuts expire and let the health-reform law and the associated Medicare cuts and excise tax get implemented as planned. Doing by not doing: That's the zen of deficit reduction. Somehow, I doubt Washington will find it very calming." Ezra Klein at The Washington Post

Methinks Obama should read Ezra Klein more.

Oh, and cut defense spending and deal with entitlement reform. Social security would be the easiest to tackle - lift the caps on the pay roll tax and raise the retirement age by 1 or 2 years. I don't think anyone wants to touch that one since the first to propose a reform will be accused of rationing another person's health care. Do the the younger people get priority? Older people? Will the money be distributed on an outcomes-based expectation?

The Republican version - handing out vouchers to pay for health care, sounds suspiciously like having you purchase your own insurance from an insurance company that will gladly accept your paychecks but deny your claim when it suits them.

About Me

I'm a college graduate with a B.A. in political science and a minor in journalism who worked for a local newspaper.
As my title suggests, I'm a political heretic with moderately conservative to a moderately conservative perspective though I have a great deal of respect for and adherence to the libertarian and radically centrist points of view as well.
If you wanted a breakdown politically, you could say I'm slightly right of center on foreign policy (with a strong affinity with the realist school of thought), slightly left of center on the cultural issues, and probably dead center on fiscal issues and the entitlements. But this is not entirely accurate either. Sometimes I go left and right at the same time on the same issue.
I am an independent republican (small "r") who has voted for Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and Green Party candidates who has voted for candidates from the Republican, Democratic and third parties.